Community Matters

As I pointed out before, Nikon is a bit lacking in large aperture prime lenses. So I’m very excited that Nikon added an AF-S 24mm f/1.4 ED lens. I wish I could say “I preordered mine” – but at an expected street price of $2200 (around $500 more than the comparable Canon lens) I don’t think this is within reach any time soon.

Still, it is a step in the right direction and hopefully more lenses in this range will follow. A Nikkor AF-S 28mm f/1.4 ED or AF-S 30mm f/1.4 ED lens would be extremely welcome by the market, I think.

Also announced was an AF-S 16-35mm f/4 ED VR lens. I’m a bit more ambivalent about this lens. VR doesn’t seem to be as important on a wide angle lens – yet f/4 versus f/2.8 to me is a pretty significant step back. Of course the AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED with a street price of about $1600 is even more expensive than the new 16-35mm f/4 (which is expected to start selling at $1260).

I have the old Nikkor AF 20-35mm f/2.8D lens which sadly has been out of production for almost a decade, but still is easily found at less than half the price of this new lens. I love that lens and use it quite frequently – it does of course lack a bit of range on the wide angle side and the VR – but it gives you f/2.8 for a lot less money.